William timmis



W. TIMM IS.

GAR BRAKE (No Model.)

No. 591,577 Patented Oct. 12, 1897.

witness W UN TED ST T-Es Z PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM TIMMIS, or PITTsBuEe, PENNsYLv NIA, ss eNoR- ONE-HALF 'ro FRANK w. BAILEY AND CAROLINE B- PIER, 0E sAME PLAoE.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters ma No. 591,577, dated October 12, 1897.

2 Application filed July 13,1897; Serial No. 644,407. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

' Beit known that I, WILLIAM TIMMIs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Brakes, of

which the following is 'a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce an effective and simple rail-brake for railwaycars, and especially for electric and other tramway-cars not provided with air-brakes.

My improved brake is designed to be applied by hand from either end of the car.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of a car with the invention applied. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the brake-shoe, and Fig. 4 is a central vertical section through the brakeshoe.

In the drawings, A indicates the floor or platform of a car, and B the truck-frame. Upon the truck-frame are mounted two or more transverse shafts 1, and upon each shaft is a verticallever 2, the shaft passing through its center. The upper ends of all of the levers are connected bya suitable chain or rope 3 with the winding-drum of a brake-shaft 4 on one end of the car, and the-lower ends of the levers are connected by a chain or rope 5 with the drum of a brake-shaft 6 at the other end of the car. These ropes pass over guide-sheaves 7 beneath the car-floor. At the outer en ds'of the rock-shafts 1 and directly over the rails are arms 8. These arms en,- gage vertical plungers 9, upon the lower ends of which the brake-locks are mounted. The plungers are guided vertically in brackets 10 near their upper ends and in brackets 11, which extend from the car-truck within a short distance of the rails, thus transmitting the thrust of the brake-shoes directly to the car-truck. The plungers pass through the brackets 11, and the brake-shoes are normally lifted from the rails by spiral springs 12, which surround the plungers andrest on the brackets, the upper ends of the springs" used.

If the connections between the arms 8 and the plungers were rigid, the brake-shoe applied to the highest point of an uneven track would prevent the other brake-shoes from coming in contact with the track; but by introducing the springs the rock-shafts are permitted to turn slightly after the first brake-shoe isapplied, and in this manner all of the shoes may be applied.

The preferred form of brake-shoe is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The shoe 17 has a portion which rests on the tread 18 of the rail and a flange 19, which extends down to the foot of the rail. The lower face of the shoe is curved upward at both ends, as shown in Fig. 1, so that it will readily pass over rail-joints and other slight obstructions, and the flange 19 is tapered or pointed at its ends, so that it will readily pass through switches and crossings. The plunger 9 fits in a rectangular socket 20 in the upper side of the brake-shoe, and the shoe is connected to the plunger by means of a bolt 21, passing transversely through the shoe and plunger. This renders the shoe readily detachable from the plunger, and when a shoe becomes broken or worn it can be readily replaced.

I My improved brake is very simple in construction and very effective in operation. It is designed to use a plurality of brake-shoes to each car, two or more rock-shafts 1 being In the drawings two rock-shafts are shown and four shoes; but this number may be readily increased'by duplicating the parts described.

Having described my invention,- what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The combination with a car, of aplurality of transverse rock-shafts mounted thereon, Vertically-arranged levers having their able brackets, brake-shoes at the lower ends of the plungers, springs resting on the lower brackets and arranged to raise the plungers and brake-shoes, and arms at the ends of the rock-shafts arranged to engage the plungers and apply the brakes when the shafts are rocked, substantially as described.

2. In a car-brake, the combination of a transverse rock-shaft, a lever centrally connected to said rock-shaft, a connection from the upper end of said lever to the brake-shaft at one end of the car, a connection from the lower end of said lever to the brake-shaft at the opposite end of the car, vertically-arranged plungers guided in suitable brackets, brake-shoes on the lower ends of the plungers, springs arranged to raise the plungers and hold the brake-shoes normally away from the track, arms 011 the ends of the rock-shaft arranged to engage and depress the plungers, and springs interposed between said arms and said plungers, substantially as described. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM TIMMIS. Witnesses:

J. A. WATSON, J. FRED. KELLEY. 

